A trainee with special link to the Balkans

Following how Serbia-Norway relations have been fostering for years, Dragana Kulovic, new trainee at the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade, has now got a chance to see and learn how it all works from an Embassy perspective.

This August, Dragana has got an opportunity to get to know how the Embassy operates on the inside. Her six-month long internship at the Embassy comprises variety of tasks from different reporting and case handling to administrative routines, cultural events and instagram. This means that every day is different and dynamic, which makes the internship all the more interesting and challenging.

“My very first tasks included some translations, reading a lot of newspaper and looking into specific cases to get an overview of what’s going on,” says Dragana. She has furthermore contributed to a few reports on current events in the region. According to her, this will strengthen an important foundation for the weeks to come. “The hustle and bustle has yet to come; I got a glimpse into the plans for the fall and I am really excited about it.”

So far, this has not been all that difficult for Dragana given that she speaks the Serbian language and has been following the news from the region. Having Serbian origin, Dragana grew up in Norway where she studied business and is now finishing her double master degree in Strategy and CEMS International Management at Norwegian School of Economics and Keio University. Her focus has long been on business ethics and the intersection of development and private sector engagement.

According to her, within that field it is important to learn about mechanism between politics and business. “This internship is a unique opportunity to achieve deeper understanding of the driving forces between the business operations and political action, and gain experience of political relations and cooperation,” she explained.

These are the main reasons why her choice for traineeship has fallen on the Norwegian embassy in Belgrade. Although her future career path is yet to form, Dragana believes that the traineeship at the Embassy will be useful for everything. Especially since the internship allows shaping her tasks based on her interests.

Her first impressions at the Embassy seem to be very positive so far. “The work atmosphere is intriguing and there a lot of friendly, smiling faces around willing to help or simply share a laugh,” Dragana added.

After working hours, she is enjoying Belgrade and exploring its countless hidden gems, which “pop up out of nowhere”. She has long been eager to explore this vibrant, artistic and blooming city. In the coming weeks, interns working at other embassies are due to start working as well and Dragana will hopefully get to enjoy some more warm summer nights, which she likes a lot.